War of Dawn
by BlackNhite
Summary: "Our finest warriors make their final stand against the forces of darkness." Oneshot.


In celebration, of a sorts, for the premier of Volume 7.

This is somewhat in "continuity" with my previous RWBY oneshot, **Real Power**, but I don't think it's entirely necessary to read that in order to get this. Mostly concerns the appearance of one original character and the "mechanics" of silver eyes within this universe.

More extensive Author's Notes will be present at the end.

* * *

'_In darkness...'_

As one they marched, every step cautious and measured. No sooner had they crossed the border of their familiar homelands into the crooked wastes beyond did the shadows descend. In all directions the void spread, sapping their strength and warmth. What meager lights they could fashion from various means could reach only a small distance, the darkness devouring all within its depths.

'_They shall be light.'_

A sphere of glimmering white was raised high, perched atop the tip of a thin blade. Despite its brilliance, it did little more than any other glow to pierce the unnatural shade. But amber eyes saw more, their slit pupils dancing at the barest hint of motion. Of greater use were the pointed, black-furred ears rising from the girl's scalp, shifting and perking as errant sounds echoed off the rocky formations dotting the hidden landscape. Blake strode forward, mindful of the her two teammates and the deathlike grips they held on either arm, reliant on her for navigation.

RWBY's fourth member walked just behind them, her every movement poised and measured. With her every step the white glow swayed, drifting in its seat at the peak of Myrtenaster. Figures strayed in and out of the light's edge, all walking in the same direction. The multitude of other, smaller motes sailing together through the void urged the unseen masses onward. Some more lively souls had even started up a chant of sorts, punctuated by the rolling, supposed call of a sloth.

No sooner had they grown accustomed to the darkness was it torn away, drawn back like theater curtains. All shielded their eyes against the sudden onslaught of sight, the Belladonna girl especially stunned by the sensory overload. The girl in the scarlet cape and her golden-maned sibling only just managed to catch their faunus teammate between them, drawing her back to her feet. The modest army of warriors roused from their stupor, now able to take in the world beyond.

'_In times of doubt...'_

The barren earth was cast in plum shadows and tones of rust. Pools of pitch black tar peppered the cracked landscape, the light of the shattered moon all that their surface would reflect. Remnant's satellite proved the only familiar body in these heavens, the sky stained the color of blood, the faux night devoid of even a single star. Jagged peaks thrust up from all across the wastes, desperate to reach above these forsaken lands.

But the most prominent feature, the centerpiece of this twisted realm, stood stark and silent before them. A castle loomed over the tainted realm, seated atop a mighty column of rock – its width enough to consume a town and its height matching the reach of their best airships. The fortified structure upon this monolith was cloaked in blackness, standing boldly against the scarlet sky. Angular battlements, spire-tipped towers, no hero could ask for a more ideal setting to confront the final enemy. And yet the sight gave everyone pause, the sheer scale of what was before them overpowering their will. Apprehension began to settle amongst them, frightened glances and harsh whispers drifting through their ranks.

And then the girl in red stepped forward.

'_They shall offer hope.'_

Her teammates watched as the girl – the youngest of them – stepped to the edge of the cliff face. Every eye tracked her movement, all present gazing upon the scarlet-scarfed huntress in silent wonder. A powerful wind picked up, catching the tattered length of fabric and the red-tipped ends of her dark hair. Ruby Rose paused over the threshold, staring down upon the broken wastes. She gave another long, hard glance upwards, silver eyes latched onto the shadowy fortress hanging in the distance.

She turned back to the collected mass of warriors, over a hundred souls, a ragtag force of hunters, soldiers, and outlaws. Many seemed lost… but a few stood out. Yang grinning with energy, her uncle wearing a proud smile, Weiss shining with focus, and Blake standing resolute.

Ruby couldn't keep the smile from her face. From that single, youthful display did the gathered fighters of Remnant draw their strength.

The uplifting calm was shattered an in instant as the earth sharply jerked beneath their feet. The world tilted as the entire section of cliff side broke free, lurching dramatically as gravity took hold. The makeshift army did their best to brace themselves, dropping low to the ground and huddling together to keep balance. Winds whipped to a frenzied howl as the loosed slab of earth rumbled down into the valley below.

Someone near the back heard it first, a mass of sound beneath the roar of shifting rock and vicious wind. An actual roar, something akin to a savage beast. The wild rhythm rose in volume, joined by the clatter of a hundred clawed limbs raking hastily through stone. A warning shout passed down just as the first form tore free of the ravaged rock face. Hundreds more followed, falling onto the invaders like a storm of blackened flesh and bleached bone.

Ruby Rose, crouched at the front, only just registered the cries of the others behind her. The young huntress held her gaze on the fast approaching ground, the murky pools that stained its expanse, and the twisted flood of Grimm scrambling from their depths. Their entire force was about to be crushed between two massive hordes.

The chunk of former cliff side impacted with a great _boom _and an eruption of dirt, covering the land with a dusty haze.

'_In howling fury...'_

Battle raged all around, lost in the thick screen of earthen smoke. Flashes of gunfire sparked throughout the shroud, cries of men and bestial shrieks filling the air in equal measure. A figure garbed in rough leathers launched from the peak of a modest outcropping, driving the tip of his spear down into the back of a bear-like fiend. The Ursa thrashed in kind, its sudden passenger jockeying to avoid impalement on one of its many bone quills. A flash of steel ripped through the haze, more efficiently ripping through the neck of the struggling Grimm. Dark mist laced with ash billowed from the wound as the hulking monster rolled limply to the ground.

The spear wielder looked up to the young man carrying the short blade, his stunned eyes meeting the reflective glass of the swordsman's goggles. He leaned forward a ways, free hand reaching back to grasp the hood of his olive coat, yanking so that its weight may settle more evenly. The spearman smiled, an act sheepishly reciprocated by the young swordsman. They were far beyond words at this point.

A wall of flesh fell through the surrounding cloud, the spearman turning just in time to catch the slash of long claws against his armored front. The protective material did nothing to shield him, the mighty strike cleaving through leather and aura to the soft skin beneath. Blood burst across the cracked ground as the spear wielder collapsed, his head summarily crushed as the hefty Ursa stomped over the body. At once the enraged Grimm rushed the one remaining, eager to slay the glassy-eyed man-thing.

A demon met the Ursa's charge, its smaller form wreathed in golden flame. A burning fist sank into the beast's black fur, going all the way to the elbow before an explosive blast slung the bear back into the smog. The screen of debris cleared briefly as the fiend flew through, revealing three more of the large ursine Grimm.

Her blonde mane ablaze, eyes boiling crimson, Yang Xio Long glared the beasts down with unmatched rage.

'_They shall show strength.'_

The girl took off at a dead sprint, the pack of Grimm eagerly returning the human's charge. A fierce bellow of challenge split the air as the first of the ursine monsters reached its lone quarry. And then Yang sank her elbow into the Ursa's belly. The stunned beast was only halfway through its claw swipe, still unable to figure how the girl that was once in front of it was now crashing her way through the beast's rib cage.

Despite standing almost twice as tall and weighing over three times as much as her, Yang's blow bodily lifted the massive Grimm, catapulting it away. With a deft twist she shifted stance, popping off a heat round with a short jab. The Ursa closing in on her left took the simmering slug to the brow and veered off with a messy tumble.

Not missing a beat, the young huntress vaulted upwards, rolling over the thick arm of her third assailant. Her left gauntlet gave an audible _'cli-clock'_ as multiple rounds were locked into place. Yang set her feet across the bear's shoulders, launching her fist down onto its skull. The blast drilled through the white bone mask, shredding darkened flesh as it ripped out of the Ursa's throat with a burst of flame and black mist.

Yang fired both gauntlets, launching back as the frenzied Grimm who'd taken the heat round lashed blindly through her previous space. Gravity caught on quickly, Yang flipping once to get her feet back under her. She landed with a firm stomp to the belly of the first Ursa, the Grimm only just beginning to rouse. The beast loosed a pained yelp. Yang sent a shotgun blast into its maw, her other arm raised as the gauntlet's twin unloaded a steady beat of shots towards the brow-stricken Ursa.

The blind Grimm leaped, hurling itself at the sound. Yang stepped to the side, hopping off her still living platform. The downed Ursa's tenuous grasp on live came to an end as its fellow fiend dropped on top of it, smashing its body whilst a clawed limb lanced through the prone monster's neck.

The huntress returned, catching her confused prey with a heavy blow to the jaw. A second followed, rolling in from the opposite side. Yang worked up a rhythm, putting her entire body into each and every punch. At hit number twelve, the crack of splintered bone issued as the Ursa's head snapped a little too far to the right side. The girl stepped back, relaxing her stance as she turned away, her latest victim pitching over the pulped corpse of its fellow monster.

Another Ursa stood before her, sporting a large circle of seared flesh on its front. Her first contender, it seemed, wasn't as down and out as she'd thought. An over head swing was already bearing down on the young huntress, too close to avoid. Her arms surged up to catch it.

A flashing line cut through the Grimm's wrist, the cry of steel splitting flesh rending the air. The Ursa's paw flew off to the side bare moments before its head joined it. The wall of muscle fell back, revealing a familiar, goggle-clad figure wielding a short sword. The two shared a set of short, savage grins as more darkened shapes advanced through the dust screen.

Several gangly forms raced forth, piercing the haze as they rushed across the barren landscape. The report of rapid-fire rounds sprung up from all over the battlefield, the blackened shapes hungrily rooting out the shooters.

One of the lithe creatures pierced the dissipating smoke, air whipping across the black feathers covering its body. An arm thrust forwards, sharp talons tearing through battered armor and into soft man-flesh. The fiend rushed away quickly, dodging the swing of a shaft from a nearby warm-blood. With care neither for the screams of its previous prey nor the enraged shouts of its comrades, the slender Grimm tore off in search of further targets.

Even through the smoke the charging monster cut an obvious profile with its large, arcing beak centered over the front of its head. The broad shape and scissor-like edges paired together to make a formidable weapon, designed to crush and cleave through any unfortunate victims. The bird-like beast spotted an outline in the debris, clearly one belonging to the enemy. The feathered Grimm unleashed a shrill cry as it advanced, the frenzy of battle overtaking it.

With a solid _'thoom'_ and a choir of skeletal snaps the avian beast was halted, the rear of its body collapsing into the front at the sudden, absolute loss of momentum. Its once strong beak shattered like glass against the smooth surface of its ender, the shield's white gleam accented by its golden trim.

'_In vengeance...'_

The young man fell forwards, the length of his sword sinking into the weakly struggling form of the ruined Tengu. The avian body was already beginning to decay as the huntsman stood, adjusting his grip on Crocea Mors.

Jaune Arc's feature's had hardened, a harsh glare smoldering in his blue eyes. With practiced ease he rolled his wrist, giving his blade a smooth twirl as he settled his stance, drawing up his pale shield. The boy hardly flinched as another of the feathered monsters leaped free of the gloom to his left. He turned to the right.

The young huntsman swept his sword in a rising slash, catching a third Tengu as it lunged at him from above. Bladesong rang out behind him, a series of swift, rather expected strikes no doubt rending the second Grimm to pieces. Jaune raised his shield, catching his falling kill before tossing the smoking corpse to the ground. An actual grimace marred his face as several meaty hunks of diced Grimm splashed against his armored back. With a huff, he used his shield to fan away the black smog.

A man in a padded tunic stepped up beside the novice huntsman, wiping ash stains from from the forest green fabric. A longsword rested in his right hand, clenched between steel-clad digits. His charcoal black features turned to the blonde teen, silver bangs swaying passed his golden gaze.

Again Jaune settled his posture, the elder warrior Ariado grinning at the sight. Boy had come a long way from the bumbling novice he'd met almost a year ago. Maybe too much of a change if the stoic silence was anything to go by...

The old man pushed down his apprehensions – there would be another time.

Thunderous steps arose from the pair's rear. Without looking they could picture the titanic frames marching through the gloom, outlined by thick plate and rounded pauldrons. An eager grin crossed Ariado's lips as he made to correct his footing, falling back into old habits.

They appeared. Six grand figures in resplendent armor, their luminous luster cutting through the surrounding haze. They approached in line behind the two, each easily twice the height of any normal man. Five armed themselves with halberds, the width of their shafts comparable to a support pillar. One at the center, standing just ahead of the others, stood out by the massive warhammer they hefted with one hand. The instrument of bludgeoning hummed with holy energy.

'_They shall be swift.'_

A barbaric howl tore across the battlefield, feral and bathed in wrath. Ariado offered Jaune only a cursory glance before he joined the boy's war cry. At their back, six booming tones bellowed in kind.

They were off at once, two with hurried footfalls, the others keeping pace with great, loping strides. They came upon a precipice, a sudden drop in the land. What lay beyond was obscured by the still present veil of dust. But the clash of battle was all the persuasion needed. Heedless of danger, the assault force jumped down, plummeting into the monstrous ranks.

Screams echoed in the distance, the final howls of desperate fighters. Their reason became readily evident as a large shape stalked through the earthen haze. The creature stood two stories at the very least, its length from snout to tail an easy fifteen meters. Dark, oil-slicked scales covered its reptilian form, the natural armor rising to jagged ends. Even through this thick outer layer one could readily appraise the dense muscle structure that carried this saurian goliath.

Without haste the beast lumbered forward, its long, powerful jaws working over an obstruction caught between its sharpened teeth. The pulped obstruction – formerly one of the human invaders – gushed several liters of blood as the Grimm clenched its maw closed. With a brief effort the mouth snapped shut, the once upper half of a person separating from the lower with a wet squelch and a loud crunch. Unconcerned, the scaled monster's four, crimson slits gave a lazy scan of the smog-laden wastes.

The emerald prey was almost too quick, somehow managing to fool its superior senses for a time. More curious, the small being had taken this rare opportunity to _approach_ the great hunter, rather than flee like the others. Its black fist clenched, knuckles adorned with vicious spikes of white bone. In a motion too fast for a creature its size, the Tyrant Grimm sped forward, thrusting down with immense strength.

The earth split before the Tyrant's blow, a small fissure caving the ground around its fist. The blow had been swift, savage. The young huntsman in green had been swifter, darting in under the fiend. A second set of arms roused into action, closing in towards the Tyrant's belly, ready to intercept this presumptuous whelp. Pain reached its massive limbs before they could reach their target, the Grimm groaning in surprise.

Lie Ren dashed along the Tyrant's underside, his hands a flurry as he lashed out with his bladed pistols. A few quick cuts to the lower arms and two deep splits carved into the legs, the dark-haired huntsman leaped free of the monster's range. He got a nice swipe at the tail in passing.

Stumbling, its balance compromised, the great lizard parted its jaws in a furious roar. Its eyes blazing scarlet, the beast tensed its four arms, prepared to hurl itself at the insignificant prey who dared defy its might.

It was rewarded with the biting taste of steel, the business end of a large hammer slamming into its open mouth, catching the top jaw. The Tyrant's weight almost left the ground at the sheer power behind the blow. Its heavy frame was actually lifted an instant later, the surge in its attacker's strength accompanied by a flickering, pink glow and the loud crackle of static.

Nora touched down, her orange hair bouncing as she settled into a wide stance. Her most recent "client" came to the end of his surprise flight a moment later, crashing to the floor upon the pale, rounded shell that sat upon its back. Her hammer, Magnhild, sat ready in her grasp, the inner workings of its blunt mass pulsing a hot fuchsia. Ren stalked up beside her, both guns trained on the prone Tyrant.

It didn't stay down long, rolling to its front and spinning towards its opponents in short, aggravated motions. A hate-fueled hiss crept out from its fanged maw. Human blood flowed in pursuit. The Grimm set itself low, making to surge and overtake the two.

A glass blade, curved in design and wafting icy mist, cleaved down upon the Tyrant. Its strong shell split like rotted wood, its body crumpling beneath the avalanche of force. The hulking reptile erupted into a cloud of soot, the curved, teal blade retreating upwards.

As the mammoth weapon retreated ever higher, a young lady clad in white stepped onto the field. Her hair was pure as snow, long enough to reach her waist and gathered oddly into a high, off-center tail. Striding onward, her blue eyes shifted as she surveyed the wastes, noting the vanishing remains of the bisected Tyrant. With a clicking _whir_ the revolving mechanism within her sword's guard began to spin, cycling through reserves of dust.

In her wake strode a titan of ice, waves of chilled mist pouring from its towering form. The figure was slim, feminine, but garbed entirely in smooth, reflective plate. A knight's tabard rested on top, the ethereal fabric floating slightly at the ends, the pattern of a snow flake stamped proudly over the chest. Two broad, curved blades rested in its hands, the rightmost one wafting dark fog as Grimm blood was purged from its surface.

The frost knight gazed down upon the defeated Tyrant, mirroring the smaller girl's focus. Its face was a stoic mask in the most literal of ways, carved expertly in the likeness of a silent maiden. The rest of the head lay beneath a rounded helm, a crown-like ridge formed over the brow. What served as eyes were a pair of empty voids, their depths offering only a hollow stare to the world outside.

Weiss, former heiress to the House of Schnee, rolled her shoulders and settled her stance. Her colossal construct, brimming with the girl's aura, twirled its twin blades in kind, pinpricks of icy teal forming in its darkened eyes.

'_In the midst of battle...'_

Weiss swung her blade upward, driving back down with a harsh slash. The clawed hand of the bipedal wolf was split neatly, thwarting its attempted attack. The fiend gave little heed to its maiming, lunging forward to sink its fangs into the soft skin of the neck. The white huntress spun away, lashing out with a long swipe to the creature's back.

At once a second Beowulf dove into the fray, launching itself several meters in a show of feral strength. The armored boot of Weiss' construct slammed down, flattening the presumptuous wretch who dare assail its master. With casual air the ice titan whipped its left blade out to the side. A winged Grimm was cut out of the sky, its skull rent from its body.

A simple pivot saw Weiss out of the severed head's path, the jagged bits and weight of the Manticore's bone mask dragging a long trench in the earth. The head slammed into an Ursa. The black bear slammed it right back. Magnhild, its wielder enamored by the thought of a knock-around, belted the "ball" back from whence it came. The cranial comet blew the unfortunate Ursa into an immediate state of non-being.

Nora sulked at the "game's" lackluster ending. Weiss threw out her free hand, pointer and index extended, focusing her aura into a familiar pattern. A wide, black glyph surrounded Nora, spinning slowly over the ground. Around the downtrodden girl, four mangy Beowulf were lifted off the ground, their adherence to gravity withdrawn.

Ren strode into frame, plugging one Grimm with three loud shots. Two more fell a second. Weiss' knight killed the third, stepping into it whilst sweeping a wide line across the enemy's ground forces. Ren cut down the last with the emerald edge of Stormflower on his way to resuscitate his partner.

Weiss spun, scoring a glancing strike off an Ursa's brow. The beast pressed on, harrying the girl with furious swipes. Then the Grimm's right shoulder burst, its muscles rippling at the impact as the distant crack of a high caliber rifle tore across the landscape. Weiss sprang back in, the point of her weapon driving through tissue with frightening ease. But even with a chunk of its arm missing and Myrtenaster buried to the hilt in its chest, the Ursa still moved.

The sword's revolving cylinder _clicked_ into place, a vial of dust draining into the weapon.

'_They shall have no fear.'_

The Ursa's hide quaked, a shrill whine dragged from its gaping maw. And then its back erupted, a storm of Grimm matter and crackling tendrils of violet static. The array of large spines on the beast's back blasted out in a rain of shrapnel. A dozen thoughtless Beowulves caught the barrage full on, their bodies riddled with spikes and sparking with the lingering effects of lightning dust.

In spite of the rather impressive display, the monstrous hordes gave no pause in their advance. Weiss was swiftly in motion, flipping backwards as a Beowulf dove through the electrified field in an attempt to crush her. The black wolf seemed largely ignorant of the powerful arcs of static racing across its pelt, focusing any pain into a feral rage.

Ren plugged the neon Grimm six times, covering for Nora who merrily skipped passed the small stand-off between the creature and Weiss. Skipped, Weiss noted, right into the midst of the arena of shock-ridden corpses. The former heiress and the greenified martial artist followed, one on either side of the hammer master.

Purple bolts shot in from all directions, leaping from their very un-living hosts to a very specific destination: Nora. Weiss and Ren could casually traverse the electric garden as the charged streaks seemed to almost shun their presence in favor of the red-headed huntress. Of course, the Grimm appeared to benefit from similar effects and continued their frenzy unhindered.

The two non-skipping combatants were a flurry of movements, whirling through groups of rabid foes as they covered Nora's advance. Lesser Grimm fell in droves, the booming _crack_ of sniper fire now coming in a steady rhythm. Weiss' summon sailed a double-bladed swing along the ground, pitching a trail of devastation that carved a neat break in the Grimm horde. The white huntress took a moment to cast, a pale glyph in the shape of a clock winding to speed around Ren's feet.

A Tyrant appeared, roaring in challenge at the armored titan. By now, Nora had gained all the charge she felt necessary. The great lizard rushed to its chosen foe; Nora dashed to intercept.

Weiss swung an orb of ice from the tip of Myrtenaster, winging it into a Beowulf in Nora's path. The demon had barely frozen over when the hammer wielder ran straight through the thing, shattering it like a stone through glass. Lightning rolled off Nora's form, spiking the ground as it stained the air in tints of violet. A pack of Tengu sprinted across the battlefield, intent on mobbing the red-headed girl with razor talons and superior speed.

Ren, bolstered by Weiss' glyph, was much faster. The emerald streak flashed through their ranks, cutting the fragile Grimm to pieces in seconds. He came to a sliding halt on the far side of the Tyrant, pinging two pistol shots into the bone surrounding its left eyes. The reptilian paid this no mind, swiftly closing with its much taller target.

In spite of the obvious size difference, the Tyrant reached up with both of its upper limbs. If having both wrists seized in the midst of its downward strike surprised the summoned colossus, it couldn't offer much of a response. Braced both by its thick legs and strong lower arms, the Tyrant's frame quaked as it struggled for dominance with the frost knight. It did not mind the dancing radiance approaching on its right, gave no attention to the incoming footfalls or the increasing cacophony of static chirps.

Blunt force trauma of the highest possible caliber was applied directly to the gut, in the gap between the Tyrant's legs and supportive lower arms. Whatever cry the monster may have issued in response was smothered by the triumphant vitriol of sound thundering out of Nora's mouth. A beam of velvet light shined out from the point where hammer met scaly hide, the world falling to silence at its reveal. The Tyrant was probably dead before it left the ground, Magnhild's impact pulping its inner workings into a mess of paste and liquid. The saurian tank blasted off in what could have been Remnant's most valiant attempt to initiate the space program.

Weiss resisted the odd urge to salute the flailing corpse being launched across the landscape. She did allow a smile to show, thoughts of a very possible victory drifting through her mind.

It was dashed in the span of a breath.

'_In the face of death...'_

A bone javelin longer than a man is tall burrowed into the shoulder of Weiss' knight. The icy armor almost seemed to meld at the penetrating force of the large projectile. A second round followed, catching the construct in the left thigh, sheering clear through the plated limb and taking a nice chunk of leg along with it. Ren, still fielding some of his buffed speed, put everything into tackling his partner. He and Nora bounced into a crater just as a third javelin speared into the girl's former position.

Weiss tracked the shots back to their source and could only balk in horror. The beaten body of the Tyrant came to an absolute stop as it literally burst apart, leaving little more that a black streak across the pale, hardened pectoral covering.

It was not the first time she had seen a Cancer. She had even fought them before, they were formidable opponents even at the best of times. But what she was looking at now… this was too much. The abomination stood over two stories tall, a match easily for the standing height of her titan. Its broad, crab-like pincers were big enough to crush cars, the one on the left slowly closing as a length of pointed bone slid back into its center. An array of pale, segmented shell encompassed the giant, very little of its black flesh revealed through slits in its natural defense.

A stalk-mounted eye turned in her direction, the second following in short order. The amber spheres blazed like small suns, consumed in fiery wrath. It _recognized_ her, Weiss could feel that in its gaze. It could read her aura, could sense the same energy in the summoned knight that had slain so many of its kin. She was the one responsible for this. She was the highest threat. She was going to die.

The Cancer's four legs worked in a hurried rhythm, sharpened tips stabbing the cracked earth with careless vigor. It trampled over the dead and the living, uncaring of the numerous Grimm too foolish to flee from its path. Tight mandibles worked in a chittering frenzy as a deluge of gray foam ran from its mouth, splashing against its broad torso in messy clumps.

Weiss had to move. Weiss wanted to move. She managed to twist her leg a little. The crustacean reared back its pincer, already in range to launch the snapping limb forward. Arms wrapped around the former heiress, lengths of dark hair flowing into Weiss' periphery. The girl's vision was set on the massive Grimm, the white meteor about to crash down upon her. Blue eyes snapped wide as the wall of pale, approaching death was interposed with a glossy layer of chilled cobalt.

'_They shall stand tall.'_

The crab's claw bit into the side of the frost knight, shredding its armor like wet clay. Immediately the second pincer clamped down over the opposite shoulder, clasping the neck in a vice grip. Any resistance the construct could have offered in response was gone in that moment, its plan of action having gotten no further than to shield its master. The clashing titans began to topple, shadows looming over the two huntresses below.

Weiss reached up, clutching at the arm wrapped around her shoulders. She may have heard a voice shout to hold on. Reality went cold, her very existence somehow fading. In an instant it had passed and Weiss looked up to behold… herself?

An astral impression of her, her mind supplied. She could only really make out the familiar stream of white hair as it cascaded down the right side of the cat-eared figure pressed against her doppelganger's back. The real Blake lowered them both to the ground, keeping a tight grip on her teammate's shoulders. They watched transfixed as the collapsing giants bore down upon their fading after-images, Blake's semblance having displaced them just out of impact range. At least, she thought they were far enough.

The knight titan flaked and crumbled, the aura holding it together draining rapidly. The land was drowned in hues of icy teal, broken by a sudden incursion of crimson. The girls' eyes snapped onto the scarlet flash which raced in front of them. Sliding to a stop, the formless stream of red took the shape of their ever trusted sharp-shooting scythe-wielder.

'_They are our bulwark against the darkness...'_

Ruby Rose widened her stance, trailing the blade of her scythe behind in preparation for a decisive strike. Her hips twisted slowly, gathering torque, as the girl's silver eyes began to swell with light. At once they flared, wings of silver radiance leaping from their edges and sweeping out across her temples. Crescent Rose too ran with shining luster, its red surface beaming in pearlescent white.

The crumbling back of Weiss' doomed summon came crashing down, the massive weight of its killer fully pressing it towards the ground. RWBY's leader clenched her teeth, the white glow of her aura taking to her weapon's curved blade, encompassing it… growing it. Weapon and wielder vanished before the true extent of the process could be viewed, bursting into a stream of red/white rose pedals.

She blasted through the knight's remains, dispelling it into a storm of snow. With a sharp cry she struck, the glimmering edge of her scythe streaking into the upper chest of the Cancer, just below the head.

'_They are the hunters of Remnant.'_

It screamed. That unholy monument of fear and darkness loosed a wail of terror and agony, its bone white casing ignited and turned to sludge as Crescent Rose dug into its front. Thick, gray foam sprayed from its braying maw, scorched to wisps of steam by the tremendous surge of Ruby's aura. Her scythe flashed, slicing deep into the titanic Grimm. Activating her semblance, she ripped the rest of the way through her target, the image of a silver comet racing across the heavens.

The Cancer's severed skull possessed just enough remaining will to turn its dimming eye-stalks towards its ender. It was granted but a moment before the caped child whirled into motion, slashing the head to ribbons in a twisting flurry. The mountain of headless being below gave a single, mighty tremor before erupting, flooding the battlefield in renewed darkness. The plume of smog drove upwards too, attempting to devour the red huntress.

Her silver light prevailed, gleaming like a star in the night sky. To any who could see, she was a shining jewel descending from above, falling back to the fight. This was all still far from over.

* * *

Though I'm still not entirely satisfied with this piece, I must admit I'm glad to finally have this out. I'd actually started writing this towards the start of Volume 6's run and I'd wanted to get it out to cap off the end of that season. As you can guess, that didn't quite happen.

So in addition to being a piece for RWBY, this is obviously a loving reference to Dawn of War III's trailer. Say what you will about the quality of the game itself but that preview they made was a damn masterpiece. I had originally planned for the ending to give way to Ozma (speaking through or perhaps at this point having assimilated with Oscar) revealing him to be the one narrating the italicized text across the battlefield. That would have included a modified version of The Emperor's tangent on the Adeptus Astartes adapted towards the hunters of Remnant. Ultimately scrapped that as things kept getting too long-winded for my tastes.

I've changed around a few character's powers/weapons. Ruby is the obvious one as her incarnation here is a further edition of how she was in **Real Power**. I envisioned silver eyes here being similar in a way to Soul Resonance from the anime/manga Soul Eater. In Ruby's case, specifically modeled her after fellow scythe-user Maka.

Weiss' summons are a bit different too. I'm leaning towards making them fully realized constructs of the mind rather than taking the form of slain foes. Basically, I want her summons to be entities completely of Weiss' own creation. That's just my own personal preference, no deeper meaning than that. I'll have some fun with it whenever she appears in later works.

Ren's pistols are pistols. I think single shot handguns give him more of a John Woo vibe, which is always nice. I have them packing much more of a punch to compensate for slower rate of fire.

I may come back to this in the future, add a part two showcasing some other characters that may be present. I mentioned Qrow in a throwaway line at the beginning so maybe I'll follow him if I decide to write more.


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